Large Two-Tier Chrome and Lucite Coffee Table, French Work, circa 1970

This large two-tier chrome and lucite coffee table is a striking example of French design in the 1970s, a decade that enthusiastically embraced transparent materials and industrial metals as the vocabulary of a new decorative modernity. The two-tier structure adds a practical and visual dimension to the piece — one plateau for display, one for use — while the juxtaposition of brilliant chrome and perfectly transparent lucite creates a dynamic interplay between solidity and near-invisibility. The generous scale makes this table a natural centrepiece for any large drawing room.

Lucite (or plexiglas) coffee tables with chrome structures were a hallmark of upscale French and international interior design in the late 1960s and 1970s. Popularised by designers such as Charles Hollis Jones in the United States and Gilles Bouchez in France, these pieces represented a radical departure from the opaque materials of previous decades. Their optical transparency allowed them to occupy space without visually encumbering it — a quality that made them particularly prized in modernist interiors.

This coffee table presents in fine overall condition. The lucite retains its clarity and the chrome its lustre. Its large format and timeless transparency make it equally suited to a contemporary interior, a 1970s-inspired décor, or a classical salon where it will introduce a note of unexpected lightness.